Interview: The Enchanting And Ominous 'Trident of Aurelia'
Jul 13, 2023
Interview by Nicki Faust
A long-abandoned trident calls out to a drowning woman. As Orianna takes it in her hand, she transforms into a mermaid, and her life changes forever. This is The Trident of Aurelia: Inheritance. A story of ancient sorceries, a cadre of mermaid allies, alien monsters, and a massive Leviathan.
We talked to Battle Quest Comics' Lee Moyer and Melissa Spandri about why The Trident of Aurelia is being called "enchanting and ominous!"
PREVIEWSworld: What’s your name and your role at Battle Quest Comics?
Lee Moyer: Lee Moyer, Creative Director.
Melissa Spandri: I’m a penciler, inker, painter, and concept artist.
PREVIEWSworld: In your own words, how would you describe your job at BQC?
Lee Moyer: No two days are the same, but my work runs the gamut from evaluating and recruiting talent to overseeing artwork to designing books and their logos. In addition to painting in No’Madd and Steel Siege, I’ve written and painted The Trident of Aurelia: Inheritance in collaboration with the great Melissa Spandri, and written (though not yet painted) its successor, The Storm.
Melissa Spandri: I work with Lee Moyer on The Trident of Aurelia. I’m in charge of creating the conceptual designs, and I take all of Lee’s imaginative world-building and put it on paper - from sketches and layouts to final inks.
PREVIEWSworld: What are your favorite pages you’ve worked on at BQC so far?
Lee Moyer: Multiple interior pages for The Trident of Aurelia: Inheritance, the frontispiece for the first No’Madd trade paperback, and the upcoming cover for The Trident of Aurelia: The Storm.
PREVIEWSworld: What are your favorite pages you’ve worked on at BQC so far?
Melissa Spandri: I talk to Lee about this often, as I’m always proudest of my most recent work. I love the process so much, though, so if I have to pick, I’d say my painting for the trade paperback cover and the spread from the first issue, along with what I’m working on for the sequel!
PREVIEWSworld: What’s your favorite comic or graphic novel?
Lee Moyer: Comics are far too diverse and interesting to winnow them down to a single favorite title. So, here are a few very different titles. Starstruck by Elaine Lee and Michael Wm. Kaluta. Sam & Max: Freelance Police by Steve Purcell. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison and Richard Case, Steve Yeowell, et al.
Melissa Spandri: This is difficult to answer, because I’m an illustrator, so I try and find something interesting in whatever I read!
PREVIEWSworld: When did you decide you wanted to become a comic creator?
Lee Moyer: I've always loved the form, but had parents who kept me well away from comics until high school. Then I was lucky enough to read the classic Claremont / Byrne / Austin / Orzechowski / Wein X-Men as they came out. I loved them to pieces. But it took me many years - from my decade as a docent at the Smithsonian Institution to being an Art Director for Electronic Arts - to take the plunge. Even then, I might not have begun The Trident of Aurelia without the encouragement of the good people at Battle Quest Comics.
Melissa Spandri: I figured out I’d be drawing for life at age 6 or 7, but it wasn’t until I was about 20 that I discovered it would be possible for me to make a living with my art. It was difficult at first, of course, but I feel great about my direction now.
PREVIEWSworld: What’s a funny or inspiring moment you’ve experienced in the world of comics?
Lee Moyer: Maybe that time I called one of my artistic idols Neal Adams "a cranky man.” I immediately regretted my choice of words as he stared at me nonplussed. Then, after a long moment, he concurred. “You’re right. I am a cranky man.”
Melissa Spandri: Lee and Battle Quest Comics contacting me of nowhere! THE TRIDENT OF AURELIA is one of the most important works of my career and continually inspires me. I’ve learned so much from this book – way more than I could have hoped or expected – and I’m so glad to be here.
PREVIEWSworld: What’s the key to making inspiring comics?
Lee Moyer: Write work that will appeal to and challenge your artists! Melissa lives in northern Italy, and as a karate teacher, she’s got an enormous facility with action. Just as (if not more) importantly, she loves drawing mermaids as much as I do. So now, she gets to draw (and I get to paint) page after page of characters we both love. And I think the reader will be able to tell just how passionate we are about the story we’re creating. I hope so, anyway!
PREVIEWSworld: What’s a question we should be asking you… but aren’t?
Melissa Spandri: Hmm... maybe: “Why are you not working right now?”
The Trident of Aurelia: Inheritance is available now at your local comic shop. Reserve your copy with PREVIEWSworld Pullbox.
If you're looking for more from Lee Moyer, join him on Instagram, Mastodon, and Tumblr. If you're looking for more from Melissa Spandari, join her on Art Station and Instagram.
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